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Container Glass Plant in Pevely, Mo., Among 13 Nationwide to Install $112M in Pollution Control Equipment

Release Date: 01/21/2010
Contact Information: Chris Whitley, 913-551-7394, [email protected]


Environmental News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Kansas City, Kan., Jan. 21, 2010) - As part of the federal government's first-ever nationwide legal settlement with a container glass manufacturer over Clean Air Act issues, all of the company's operating facilities, including one in Pevely, Mo., will be required to install an estimated total of $112 million in new air pollution control equipment.

In a consent decree filed today in U.S. District Court for the District of Washington, Saint-Gobain Containers, Inc., of Muncie, Indiana, has agreed to install the equipment at all of its operating facilities in 12 states, including the one in Missouri. The agreement covers all 15 of Saint-Gobain's plants, including two which have been closed by the company for independent business reasons.

As part of the settlement, Saint-Gobain has agreed to pay a $2.25 million civil penalty to resolve its alleged violations of the Clean Air Act’s new source review regulations. Of the $2.25 million civil penalty, Saint-Gobain will pay $1.15 million to the United States and $1.1 million to the 10 states and two local regulatory agencies that joined the case. The State of Missouri will receive a $100,000 share of the settlement.

“Consistent with Administrator Lisa P. Jackson’s seven priorities, this settlement calls for tough new controls and innovative technologies to cut down on harmful air emissions that threaten the health of millions of Americans,” said Cynthia Giles, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance.

Nationwide, Saint-Gobain's installation of the pollution control equipment is expected to reduce emissions of nitrous oxide, sulfur dioxide and particulate matter by approximately 6,000 tons each year. At the Pevely plant, which includes two glass furnaces, the new controls are estimated to cost the company approximately $12 million, and are projected to reduce nitrous oxide emissions by 38 tons per year, sulfur dioxide by 201 tons per year, and particulate matter by 37 tons per year.

In the complaint filed concurrently with today’s settlement, the federal government and the 10 state and two local government plaintiffs alleged that Saint-Gobain constructed new glass furnaces or modified existing ones over the course of two decades without first obtaining pre-construction permits and installing required pollution control equipment. The alleged violations were discovered as a result of an EPA investigation that included inspections, file reviews, information requests, and the review and analysis of data obtained from the company. The Clean Air Act requires major sources of air pollution to obtain such permits before making changes that would result in a significant increase in emissions of any pollutant.

The consent decree is subject to a 30-day public comment period and approval by the court.